I watch movies. Then I talk about them.

Month: June 2015

It’s difficult to imagine a world where “de-extinction” is so commonplace that the existence of living, breathing dinosaurs no longer carries the “wow factor” anymore. But in the ambiguously futuristic Jurassic World, it’s true: dinosaurs are passé.

Sundance darling Me and Earl and the Dying Girl is every bit as quirky as its title suggests. In short, self-deprecating high school senior Greg (Thomas Mann), who fancies himself an island in a sea of cliques and caricatures, is coerced by his mother into befriending his classmate Rachel (Olivia Cooke) after she is diagnosed with leukemia. It has all the makings of a shlocky, The Fault In Our Stars knock-off. And yet, the sum far exceeds its parts.

Because that’s a mighty title to shoulder… Then again, the only recent Pixar films have been Cars 2, Brave, and Monsters University; charming, but forgettable. But what about Up? Finding Nemo? WALL-E? Monsters Inc.? Does Inside Out trump them all?

Hey everyone! I’ve decided to start this blog for my musings about movies (and, on occasion, TV). And for my first post, I wanted to talk about that quality that so many of my favorite movies have — visual appeal. I love a director with a unique eye—Sofia Coppola’s languid, low-contrast femininity, Wes Anderson’s sharp right angles, Joe Wright’s lavish period pieces. For me, a film is as much about the visual sensory experience as it is about the plot.

Not quite cinematography, and more than just production design, what makes a film visually/aesthetically stunning is hard to pin down. It’s a combination of color, framing, visual complexity, and a little dose of movie magic. In no particular order, here are five films that most take my breath away.